Xavier Cruz Correia

Biography

Xavier Correia (XC) received his BSc and MSc in Biochemistry from the Faculty of Sciences of the University Porto (FCUP) with the highest classification of the courses (18 and 19 out of 20, respectively), having been awarded two student prizes (Professor Doctor Fernando Serrão Award and Professor Doctor João Cabral Award) and a distinction for his excellent academic performance. The work developed during his BSc project and MSc dissertation provided a sound contribution in the fields of peptide chemistry and neurosciences, with the development of a robust and straightforward methodology for the multi-gram synthesis of aza-proline, its incorporation into melanostatin neuropeptide, and subsequent discovery of potent modulators of the D2 receptors with potential anti-Parkinson activity. His MSc dissertation was conducted in the framework of the ERASMUS+ internship program with mobility to the Faculty of Pharmacy of the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC) and the Centre for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS), contributing to his internationalization. Additionally, his academic training was complemented with two extracurricular internships (PEEC) at FCUP focused on the organic synthesis of bioactive compounds, obtaining the maximum classification of 5 out of 5, and advocating his scientific commitment to neuroscience research. In 2021, XC was awarded a competitive FCT-funded research initiation scholarship (BII, reference REQUIMTE_VC_01_2021) integrated into a multidisciplinary project that combined valences in (in)organic and environmental chemistry for the development of fluorescent sensors for the detection and removal of toxic metals in contaminated water. Later on, in 2023, XC received a research fellowship (BI, reference REQUIMTE 2023-01) in the context of an FCT-funded research project entitled “DynaPro: Probing Dynamic Chirality to the Rescue of Melanostatin in Parkinson's Therapy” (reference 2022.01175.PTDC), being later incorporated as an official team member of the project due to his valuable contributions. In this project, XC has conducted the synthesis of an extensive library of aza-peptides and participated in the biological evaluation, with the discovery of potent modulators of the dopamine D2 receptors with potential application in Parkinson’s disease for which a patent request has been submitted in Portugal (PT119904) and Spain (P202530122). During this fellowship, XC has co-supervised two undergraduate students attending extracurricular internships. In addition, XC has participated in several scientific conferences, meetings, and workshops, with a total of 43 poster (7 regional, 14 national, 22 international, 8 of which as presenting author) and 28 oral (13 regional, 4 national, 11 international, 9 of which as presenting author) communications, eight of them (4 oral and 4 poster) distinguished for their scientific rigor and research excellence. Moreover, XC co-authored 7 research papers , published in leading peer-reviewed journals (Synthesis, ACS Chemical Neuroscience, ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters, European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, RSC Medicinal chemistry, and ACS Sustainable Chemistry and Engineering), two of which received the IACOBUS Research Papers Award. XC is currently attending the Doctoral Program in Chemistry at FCUP, having received a competitive PhD student fellowship (Ref. 2024.02245.BD) granted by FCT. In 2024, XC received a Merit Scholarship (awarded by DGES through FCUP) for his excellent academic performance during his MSc dissertation. Overall, XC is a dynamic and enthusiastic young researcher who has an impressive track record of early achievements considering his age and career stage. His academic path and scientific productivity advocate his maturity to conduct quality research and put into practice his own ideas and research proposals.